Apparatus for centrifugally molding or lining pipes



D. A. LYONS EI'AL May 27, 1941'.

APPARATUS FOR CENTRIFUGALLY MOLDING OR LINING PIPES Filed June 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WN s m M W kw ww M 0 Q MW Z mm 4L Y. B Q

m M Q Q Q Q Q Q N RN ATTORNEY.

May 27, 1941. D. A. LYONS ETAL APPARATUS FOR CENTRIFUGALLY MOLDING OR LINING PIPES Filed June 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w RW 04/v/a A. A yo/vs 140m? A? 5494 1 N VEN TOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented May 27, 1941 r cries APPARATUS FOR CENTRIFUGALLY MOLDING OR LIINING PIPES Daniel A. Lyons, Los Angeles, and Lloyd R. Earl,

Alhambra, Calif assignors to Consolidated Steel Corp Ltd, Los Angeles, Cant, a corporation of California Application June 17, 1938, Serial No. 214,226

6 Claims.

Our invention relates to apparatus for molding or lining pipes by methods employing centrifugal action for the compacting of the material from which the pipe is to be formed or the materialwhich is to be employed as the lining for previously formed pipes.

In the manufacture of concrete pipes, it has been attempted to employ elongated molds supported for rotation about their longitudinal axes, preferably disposing the rotational axis in a horizontal direction, and spinning such pipes at speeds suflicient to compact concrete or similar material introduced into the molds by centrifugal force resulting from the spinning of the molds. Similar methods have been employed for the application of linings of concrete, mastic or other plastic materials to the interior of previously formed iron, steel or other pipes in which the preformed pipes are spun about their horizontally disposed longitudinal axes and introducing the lining material into the interior of the preformed pipe.

The methods and apparatus heretofore employed have been successful only when employed to mold or line relatively short lengths and relatively small diameters of pipes. Attempts to make pipes or pipe sections in lengths in excess of 12 to 20 feet and in diameters of more than 36 inches have been unsatisfactory due primarily to the difficulty of supporting molds or preformed pipe lengths of larger diameters and longer lengths during necessarily rapid spinning required for successful compacting of the pipe material or lining material and due to the inability to introduce into the molds or the preformed pipes of the desired quantity of concrete or other material with assurance that the material will be distributed uniformly throughout the length of the pipes.

In our copending application Serial No. 206,688, filed May 7, 1938, we have disclosed a pipe or mold spinning machine and a method for forming long lengths and large diameters of pipes or pipe linings in which the molds or preformed pipes may be successfully spun at the desired speeds to insure a successful compacting of the pipe material or lining material. The invention in the present application is particularly directed to apparatus which will permit the ready introduction of the pipe material or lining material into long lengths of molds or preformed pipes and insure uniform distribution thereof throughout the length of the molds or preformed pipes.

In introducing concrete or similar material into the molds or preformed pipes, it is essential that the troughs, buckets or other devices employed to convey the material into spinning pipes must be so mounted and so supported as not to interfere with the ready placing in and removal from the spinning machines of molds of preformed pipes and for this purpose attempts have been made to provide elongated troughs supported solely at one end upon movable carriages so that the troughs may be projected into the spinning molds or pipes from one end and then dump the load of concrete or other material after the trough has been extended into the molds or preformed pipes. In view of the fact that the material must be extremely liquid in nature at the time of its introduction into the pipe or mold, it will tend to seek any low points along the length of the trough so that when it is dumped into the pipe or mold a greater portion of the material will be dumped from low points or spots along the length of the trough while at other portions along the length of the trough little or no material will be ejected, with the result that in the finished pipe the thickness of the pipe or the thickness of the lining at different points along its length will vary between such wide limits that such pipes are completely useless for commercial purposes.

It is therefore an object of our invention to provide a trough which may be employed to introduce concrete or similar materials into relatively long lengths of spinning molds or pipes and in which the trough may be held sufliciently level throughout its entire length as to insure uniform distribution throughout its length of the liquid materials carried thereby.

Another object of our invention is to provide a trough construction as set forth in the preceding paragraph wherein the trough may be successfully supported solely from one end thereof without undue bending or distortion of the opposite end of the trough from a horizontal line.

Another object of our invention is to provide a trough of the character set forth wherein the exit edge of the trough over which the material will be dumped may be maintained at a substantially uniform level to permit troweling devices to be supported upon the trough or to be extended along the trough in substantially accurate parallelism with the rotational axis of the molds or preformed pipes.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent from a study of the following specifications, read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig, 1 is a side elevational view of a pipe sping driven byga-suitable motor 8.

mum without undue sacrifice of rigidity of the member.

As will be noted from an inspection of Fig. 3, the inner end of the tubular trough support I6 is attached to a laterally extending plate I9 welded or otherwise secured upon the support I6, the shape of such platebeing clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 as including a substantially straight top 7 29, a lower curved portion 2i formed substantially concentric, with the tubular support I6 ,whilethe left-hand edge 22 thereof extends at Fig. 4 is a detail top plan View of the trough shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. is a detail side elevationalwiew of-th trough shown in Fig. 1; and

of a portion of the trough, illustrating the manner in which a troweling devicemay be, supported and carried thereon.

Referring to the drawings, we have'indicated Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail perspective view in.Fig- 1 apipe-spinning machineoi the ,general v a -bent laterally into the contour shown in Figs. 2

a character, set. :forth in. our.1 cope,n ding; application: hereinbeiore referred to. which comprises a suitablezbed ..l;uponwhich the -base;2-of. the machine rests. and; s.upports- -.a;pair of end frames 3 and 4 .extendingcrosswise of the, machine, in

each of which gframes is mounted a plurality of pipe-supporting and guiding rollers 5 and 6 to support and-hold a pipeAduring. the spinning .goperationss Power for spinilin rthe pipe may be @applied as described-, in :the said application ,throughrone of the roller sets in each of the l frames} and 4 as by connecting such roller sets a upon;a- .shaft -'I coupled to and adapted to b ;'-.The concrete orsimilar-materialfrom which .;the pipe or} pipeliningis to be formed may be pantobe poured over this edge.

TQ hold, the trough substantially rigid throughintroduced into-the horizontally disposed mold or pipe A by means of anelongated trough B --adapted to bemoved into and out of the pipe or. mold Afrom one end thereof,- the. trough being extended insubstantially;parallel relation to the r horizontally disposedrotational-axis of the pipe v on mold A. .Thetrough B is 'sosupported as to ,permit itsmovement in thedirection of itslongitudinal axis during itsentry ,intoand removal from. the .pipe or moldA and also is arranged to betilted orrotated to ,pour or dump the liquid ,material into the pipe orhmold A after the troug ,has been insertedtherein.

.Disposed at, one. end of the base I is an auxiliary base, 9,upon whicha trackway I0 is formed to.provide a, track fora trough carriage I I. The

trough carriage may be constructed in any suit- H able manner to in clude a plurality of wheels I2 and [3 by which the carriage may be rolled to- 7 construction ll-shapedpan 26 in an outer elongated shell 32 extending throughout the length of thepan 26 an acute-angle to the top edge 29 to form an outwardly projecting nose 23. To lend rigidity to the outwardly extending nose portion, we preier to weld triangularly shaped brace members 24 and 25 to the plate I9 and to the surface of the support I6.

r The material-holding pan is indicated at 26 as an elongated sheet of suitable metal, one end of which is butted against and welded to the plate I9, as indicated at 21, the'pan sheet 26.being and.8,,which includes a sweeping curve from one .edge 28there0f downwardly to a point disposed substantially inalignment with the longitudinal axis of the support I6 and thence extends up- ,wardly. toward the left-hand side of the trough,

as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, along a substantially straight line 29 to the outer edge 36 of the plate,

which extends somewhat beyond the projecting nose .23 of the plate I9. Thus the pan 26 pro- .-Vides a relativelyshallow sump of sufficient capacity tohold the desired .quantity of concrete -or,,other. pipe forming orpipe lining-material 3| ,while,,r.otation of. the pan 26. about an axis ex- ,tendinglongitudinally thereof will gradually lower the edge 39 to permit the material in the out itslength and hence to hold the trough at substantially the same level throughout its length, we form a modified box girder type of by nesting. the more or less andbent laterally to define a more or less deep U-shaped cross sectional contour extending substantially parallel to the contour of the plate I9.

" One end of the shell plate 32 is welded or othereach be constructed of a plurality of bearing -rings-extending about the cylindrical trough support I6 to be engaged by a pair of rings I1 and I8 secured to the trough support I6 and engaging onopposite sides of the bearing member I 4 ---(or' I5); The structure not only mounts the .wise secured to the outer face of the plate I9 as indicated at 33, while the adjacent right-hand edges of the pan 26,and shell 32 are rigidly securedtogether throughout. their length by weldingthem tothe longitudinal member 34 which may be constructed of angle-iron or other desired shape.

Similarly, the left-hand edges of the plates 26 and 32 are welded to a second longitudinal .member 35 so that the shell 32 and the pan 26 mutually coact with each other to support and brace each other. At a plurality of points along the length of the trough, we provide intermediate lateral spacer and stiffener plates 36 cut to such shape as will fit the contours of both the pan 26 and the shell 32 and which may be welded in place to both the pan and shell to assist in distributing the stresses between the two longitudinally extending plates.

'The extreme end of the trough structure may be finished with an end plate 31 corresponding in all respects to the plate I9, to the inner face of which the ends of both the pan 26 and the shell 32 may be welded.

It will be observed from the foregoingdescription that an extremely long troughassembly may be provided which willbe substantially rigid throughout its length and which will resist sagging of the outer unsupported end of the trough assembly as well as preventing later-a1 twisting of the pan 26. Thus the pouring edge 30 of the trough may be maintained substantial-1y level throughout its entire length both while it is being inserted into and withdrawn from the pipe A and during the rotation of the trough in accomplishing the pouring operations.

As viewed in Fig. 4, the left-hand end of the trough-supporting member l6 may be provided with a worm wheel 38 adapted to be engaged by a suitable worm 39 by which the trough support It may be rotated in its bearings l4 and I to rotate the trough during the pouring operations or to restore the trough to the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3 for the reception and carrying of a load of concrete or other pipeforming material.

As was described in our copending application hereinbefore referred to, the pipe spinning machine is preferably provided at its end opposite to the carriage H with a lifting jack 40 which may be elevated, when the trough is in place within the pipe A, to engage a pin 4| secured to and extending outwardly from the end plate 31 to insure alignment of the edge 30 of the trough in a horizontal line and to compensate for any slight sagging that may occur at the outer free end of the trough.

It follows therefore that employing a trough constructed as illustrated and described herein, the load of material which may be required to either mold a concrete pipe or to provide a lining of a suitable thickness in a preformed pipe may be dumped into the trough which, by reason of its being substantially level at such time, will permit the uniform distribution of the material throughout the length of the trough. The trough may then be moved by means of its carriage ll into the open end of the pipe A until the free end of the trough extends beyond the opposite end of the pipe and the hydraulic jack there engages and supports the free end of the trough. When it is desired to dump the material into the pipe or mold A, the worm 39 may be rotated by any suitable crank. handwheel or other device not shown, to lower the pouring edge of the pan 26 and the material within the trough will then spill over the pouring edge. If, as hereinbefore described, the pouring edge 30 is maintained in a horizontal position throughout its length, the pouring of the liquid material from the trough will be at a uniform rate throughout its length and the material deposited in the rapidly rotating pipe A will be received by the pipe with a substantially uniform distribution of the material throughout the entire area of the pipe. This uniform distribution of the material as it is poured from the trough is extremely important in the manufacture of long lengths of pipe since the rotational movement of the mold (or preformed pipe, if merely a lining is to be placed therein) at the time the material is poured therein should be at a sufiicient rate to cause the material to be thrown outwardly by centrifugal force against the interior walls of the mold and the effect of gravity, which would otherwise level out the material to a uniform thickness, is rendered substantially negligible.

By using our trough constructed in such manner as to insure its being maintained substantially horizontal throughout its entire length, a

uniform distribution of the material without recourse to gravity leveling will be accomplished.

If desired, vibrators or shakers may be provided disposed at a plurality of points along the length of the trough to vibrate or shake the trough during the pouring operations. One such vibrating mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 5 as including an electric vibrator 42 secured .to the outer shell 33 while the armature 43 or movable part of the vibrator 42 is secured to or adapted to impinge upon the pan 26. The vibrator 42 may be energized during the pouring operations by supplying electric current thereto through cables 44.

Moreover a trough constructed inaccordance with the foregoing description provides an accurately aligned support for a brushing or troweling device which may be desired to be employed to skim off excess water during later steps in the spinning process or for smoothing up the interior surface of the pipes or pipe linings produced by the process. One form of such troweling device is illustrated herein as including a pair of longitudinally extending rails 45 and 45, one of which may be secured at the right-hand edge of the trough, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, while the other may be secured at some other point spaced across the trough to constitute a longitudinally extending trackway along which a trowel carriage 41 may travel. The carriage 41 may comprise a suitable rectangular framework provided with wheels 48 engaging the rails 45 and 46, the carriage having a troweling device #39 mounted thereon by means of leaf springs 50 to resiliently urge the device 49 against the interior surface of the concrete 5| (see Figs. 2 and 3) As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the troweling device 89 may comprise a brush, a rubber or similar squeegee which will act to wipe the interior surface of the concrete pipe or pipe lining. We prefer to withdraw the trough from the rotating pipe or mold after it has deposited its load of material within the hold or pipe and to keep the trough in the withdrawn position during the high speed spinning operations necessary to mold or line the pipes. Thus when it is desired to trowel the pipes the carriage 41 may be moved to the outer end of the trough and the trough reentered into the pipe, permitting the troweling operations to be performed while the trough is passing into the pipe though we prefer to retract the carriage 41 toward the plate l9 before reentering the trough into the pipe and then after the trough has been inserted into the pipe and leveled up and supported by the jack 4%, the carriage 4 may be moved along the now accurately horizontally aligned trackways i5t5 by drawing upon an endless cable 52 attached to the carriage 4! as indicated at 53 and passing over a pair of pulleys 5455 rotatably mounted at either end of the trough structure. The squeegee or other trowelin-g device will therefore be moved along a horizontal path disposed in accurate parallel relation to the axis of rotation of the pipe or mold A so as to insure uniform pressure contact with the inner surface of the concrete pipe or concrete lining just produced by the spinning process.

It will be observed therefore that we have provided apparatus for introducing concrete or similar substantially liquid plastic materials into a spinning mold or pipe of relatively great length, with the assurance that upon the dumping of the material into the interior of the pipe or mold the material will be uniformly distributed th-roughout thelength of the -mold, thus-permit- -ting the forming of relatively" long-lengths of pipe or the lining of "relatively long lengths of pipe with such concrete or sirnilar material, and

- the troweling of the surfaces of such material after the material has been" spun into place by centrifugal action.

While we have shown and described the preferred' embodiment of our invention, we do not desire to be limited to any of the details of construction' shown or described herein, except as "defined in the appended claims.

We'claim: 1. The combination with amachinefor manufacturing or lining pipes by centrifugal action;

1 in which molds or pipes are rotated about their horizontally disposed longitudinal axes, of an elongated trough structure for conveying a suplply of substantially liquid pipe material or lining I material, means for supporting said troughfrom one of its ends to permit the projection of said trough into said pipe or mold by movement of the same in the direction of its longitudinal axis, said trough including an elongated materialholding pan having a shallow U-shaped cross section substantially uniform throughout its length, a beam member extending longitudinally and below said pan and having a deeper U- shaped cross section to nest with said pan, and

- means rigidly securing the adjacent edges of the nested U-shapes throughout the length of said pan, whereby said pan and beam members mutually coact to hold the pan ata uniform level throughout its length.

2. The combination with a machine for manu facturing or lining pipes by centrifugal action,

-' inwhich'molds or pipes are rotated about their horizontally disposed longitudinal axes, of an elongated'trough structure for'conve'ying a supply of substantially. liquid pipe material or lining material, means for supporting said trough from "one of its ends to permit the projection of said from the pan, and a beam member extending "longitudinally of and below said pan and having adeeper U-shaped cross section to nest with said pan, and means rigidlysecuringthe adjacent edges of the nested U-shapes throughout the length of said pan, wherebysaid pan and beam members mutually coact to hold the pan and its pouring edge at a uniform level throughout the length of the pan.

3. The combination with a machine for manufacturing or lining pipes by centrifugal action, in which molds or pipes are rotated about their horizontally disposed longitudinal axes, of an elongated trough structure for conveying a supply of substantially liquid pipe material or lining material, means for supporting said trough from one of its ends to permit the projection of said trough into said pipe or mold by movement of the same in the direction of its longitudinal axis, said trough including an elongated material-holding pan having a shallow U-shaped cross section substantially uniform throughout its length, a beam member extending longitudinally and below said pan and having a deeper U-shaped cross section to nest with said pan, means rigidly securing the adjacent edges of the nested U- shapes throughout the length of said pan; Whereby said pan and beam members 'mutually' co'act tohold' the pan at a uniform level throughout its lengthyand a plurality of stiffener platesdis- "posed at spaced intervals along the length of said pan and extending laterally between the pan and v the beam member.

4;; The combination with a machine for manu- -factu-ring or lining pipes-by centrifugal action,

in which molds or pipeshre rot'ated about their horizontally-disposed longitudinal-axes; of an elongated trough structure for conveying a' supply of substantially liquida'pipe-material or lining -material; "means" for 'rotatably' supporting said trough from-one of its ends to extend the 1ongi ----tudinalaxis of -the'trough structure in a horizonta'l direction topermit the projection of the --trough into said pipe or-mold' by movement of the same in the'direction of itslongitudinal axis and for dumping material therefrom"byirotation of said trough structure-about a longitudinal axispsaid-trough including a material-holding -pan having a shallow-open topped- U shape cross section-substantially uniform throughout" its i -length,-one longitudinal edge ofwhichdefines a pouring edge over which the material is poured laterally --from-the pan upon "rotation of the trough structure, a beanrmember'extending 'longitudinally of and below said pan and having a deeper U-shaped crosssection to'nestwith said pan, and means rigidly connecting the adjacent edges: of the nested U-shapes"throughout the =length of-said pan, whereby said pan-and beam members mutually coact to hold the pan With its --*pour-ing-edge at a uniform level throughout the length of the pan.

5. The combination with a machine for manu- '--facturing or lining pipes by centrifugal action, in which molds or *pipesarerotated about-their horizontally disposed-longitudinal axes, of" an elongated trough structure for conveying a sup- -.-ply of'su bstantially liquid pipe material or'lin- --ing material,- means for supportingsaid trough --f1=orn-one of its ends to permit the projection of said trough intosaid-pipe' ormold by movement ofthe same in the direction of its longitudinal axis, said trough including an elongated materialholding pan-having a shallow u-shaped cross section substantially uniform throughout its length, abeammember-extending longitudinally and below said pan-and having a deeper U- -shaped cross section to nest with said pan, means rigidly. securing the .adj acent I edges ofthe nested for said troweling device uniformly spaced from the pipe or mold throughout the length of said trough structure.

6; The combination with a machine for manufacturing' or lining pipes by centrifugalaction, in

which 'molds' or 'pipe's'arerotated'about their horizontally disposed longitudinal axes, of an elongate'dtrough structure for conveyinga supply of substantially liquidpipe material orlining material, means for supporting said trough from i one of its'ends to permit the projection of said trough into said pipe or mold by movement of the same in the direction of its longitudinal axis, said trough including an elongated materialholding pan having a shallow U-shaped cross section substantially uniform throughout its length and a member extending longitudinally below said pan and rigidly secured to said pan throughout its length for forming in combination with said pan a modified box girder construction for holding said pan rigid in a longitudinal direction to maintain the material therein at a uniform depth throughout the length 5 of said pan,

DANIEL A. LYONS. LLOYD R. EARL. 

